This invention relates to an interactive communication system for transmitting video game and karaoke software from a host facility to communication terminal devices.
Video games have become a very popular form of family entertainment. In order to play a video game, a game cassette is first installed in a video game machine body. Game data, contained in the cassette and including video information and usually audio information, is read and outputted to a common television receiver. Accordingly, the one who wishes to play a video game must have a video game machine and a game cassette, besides a television set. Once the game cassette is installed, the player can play the game whenever and as many times as the player wishes.
However, therein lies a problem: the player has to purchase each and every game cassette he wishes to play, which can be very costly. For all the advantage that the player can play the game repeatedly, he may soon get tired of the game, or the game content may not be oriented for repeated play.
Another form of entertainment increasing in popularity is xe2x80x9ckaraokexe2x80x9d, i.e. singing to recorded instrumental accompaniment. More and more xe2x80x9ckaraoke barsxe2x80x9d can be seen in major cities, and karaoke machines for domestic use are becoming widely accepted. Such family karaoke machines need, by definition, karaoke music software, which can be found, for example, on video disk, video tape containing video and audio information, and music tape containing only audio information. Karaoke singers, tempted by changing trends in music, tend to purchase newly available karaoke programs, one after another. Thus, there arise problems of accumulated expenditure and limited storage space for the increasing number of karaoke programs.
Wherefore, an object of this invention is to provide an interactive communication system in which video game and karaoke software is transmitted via communication lines from a host facility to a calling communication terminal device at each individual home.
In order to attain the stated object, a communication terminal device according to the present invention includes communication means, connected to communication lines, for sending out or receiving data, and a computer for outputting control instructions to the communication means, and outputting or inputting data to or from the communication lines via the communication means. The communication terminal device further includes temporary storage means for temporarily storing the data inputted from the communication lines if the data inputted is game data including video information or video plus audio information, and game data outputting means included in the computer, for outputting, if the data stored in the temporary storage means is game data, the game data to integral or external display means, and, if the game data also includes audio information, to integral or external sound generating means.
In this way, the computer controls the communication means by supplying control instructions thereto. Data is thus sent out, under the control by the computer, via the communication means and the communication lines, or received via the communication lines and the communication means.
From another aspect of the invention, the computer may also include a printer, provided on the computer or provided externally, whereby, the data stored in the computer can be printed. For example, when the player wishes to quit game play, the current status of the game progress, e.g. which player corresponds to which character in the game, or the top scorer at the time, can be stored. When resuming the game, the player can refer to the printed data.
From still another aspect of the invention, a communication system according to the present invention includes the above described communication terminal device and a host facility intercommunicably connected to the communication terminal device. When the communication terminal device requests the host facility to provide game data, the host facility sends out the corresponding game data to the communication terminal device via the communication lines. The game data, received at the communication terminal device, is temporarily stored in the temporary storage means.
From a further aspect of the invention, the game data stored in the temporary storage means is deleted after a predetermined amount of time passes after the game data was received at the communication terminal device. In order to effect this deletion, the communication terminal device may include control means which operates, responsive to receipt of the game data, to delete the game data after a predetermined time period. Alternatively, the host facility may send an instruction concerning the time period, in addition to each game data it sends out. The latter alternative permits alteration of the time period with respect to each game.
By utilizing the communication system, the player need not purchase a game cassette or other software for playing video games, since the game data is provided by the host facility, which received the game data request sent by the player from his communication terminal device. Further, the game data provided to the player is temporarily stored in the temporary storage means of the communication terminal device, thereby releasing the host facility to serve other communication terminal devices requesting game data. The host facility is thus able to respond to a greater number of callers having communication terminal devices.
Furthermore, the game data stored in the temporary storage means is deleted in a predetermined time period after it was received at the communication terminal device. In other words, the useful life of the game data at the communication terminal devices is limited. As a result of this arrangement, in order to continue the game play at the end of the predetermined time period, the player again needs to request the game data from the host facility. This arrangement is therefore prerequisite so long as the game data transmission service is not free of charge. In contrast, if it were possible to keep the game data at the communication terminal device at the end of game play, the player could play the game permanently without calling the host facility. Consequently, the service cost per each transmission would be higher than the normal price of the game cassettes. The above described arrangement solves this problem and meets the need of software distributors.
The arrangement is also beneficial to players since the service cost per each transmission can be considerably lower than the price of each game cassette. Therefore, the game player who conventionally has to buy an expensive game cassette, even if he plays the game only once, can be satisfied with the reasonable cost of the transmission. The arrangement is also superior with respect to child discipline, since children can only play a limited time.
From still another aspect of the invention, the communication terminal device according to the present invention may be adapted for karaoke.
When the data input from the communication lines is a karaoke data, the temporary storage means temporarily stores the karaoke data, which is then outputted to a sound output device. The sound output device may be provided on the communication terminal device or provided externally. If the karaoke data also includes video information, the karaoke data is also output to a display. The display may also be provided on the communication terminal device or provided externally.
The communication system according to the present invention includes the above described communication terminal device and a host facility intercommunicably connected to the communication terminal device. Karaoke data is sent and received in a manner similar to the one described above for video games. The system may be configured so that the karaoke data is erased after a certain time period.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts through the figures thereof.